EuroAussie Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 Other than the particulary big price difference ? Ia it that much better than a J-45TV which is pretty amazing in itself ?
J-1854Me Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 The Legend J-45 was intended to be built as a faithful reproduction of an actual 1942 J-45m in this case, Eldon Whitford's J-45 (he of "Gibson's Fabulous Flattops" fame). The TV is a model that combines several "iconic" design elements from a variety of time periods, including the WW2 era and post-war to about the latter 1950s. The Legends that I've played were big throaty affairs with nice volume and bass and roar; I haven't played one from the last couple of years now. I first saw one of these in 2006 when they were prototyping them. The TVs are likely to be a little less consistent in terms of tone than the Legends, IMO, but they are (also IMO) a little to a lot nicer than the Standards. (But not always!) Fred
rar Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 Ia it that much better than a J-45TV which is pretty amazing in itself ? Depends on what you want. If you want a guitar that sounds like a '42 J-45, you want a Legend. Whether the price difference is worth it also figures in, of course. But the price I paid for mine -- one of the 2006s Fred mentioned -- new was <10% more than the current J-45 TV MAP. The reason was that I bought before the >50% price increase in 2007 at the time of the official product announcement at Winter NAMM. (My theory is that Henry decided the Legend was comparable to Martin's D-18A and should be priced accordingly -- ignoring the fact that the new street price would be also be comparable to the then-current price of an original, something that was definitely not the case for the D-18A.) People who manage to find one of the early relatively inexpensive ones often get comparably great deals. -- Bob R
vincentw Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 Fred (above) has it correct. The Legend I played was the best sounding J-45 I have ever put my hands on.
Rambler Posted February 16, 2012 Posted February 16, 2012 Gibson answer to CFM's authentic series, right down to the honking big neck. Played one of these back on '08. Not as crisp as an Orig. Jumbo ('34), not as resoundin' and bassy as a TV (they with the Aj-style fwd shifted bracing). And like a '46 I played around the same time, its mellow, not a shouter. If Lightnin' Hopkins and Buddy Holly is your thing (and you have the roll), it['s got the sound.
gotomsdos Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 Yes, Legend J45 is real J45 TV is unreal (mixed) Like Rambler says, Legend J45 sounds between OJ(or 30's J35, I guess) and TV. I listen to a Youtube video which is a comparison between a Legend J45 and a vintage J45, but in my ears, my 5 STAR J35 sounds closer to Legend J45 than my impression of a J45 TV on Youtube video, Like: 5 STAR J35...Legend J45.....J45 TV
GotTheSilver Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 As has been pointed out, there are some differences in the specs between the TV and the Legend. The Legend is completely hide glue construction. The bracing on the Legend is identical to the original 1942 J-45 used as the template, down to the saw blade marks. The TV has the forward shifted bracing. Of course, the neck profiles are very different. But that is all specs and they really don't mean a thing until you hear a guitar. When I first played a Legend at Fuller's, I was very impressed with it. I was able to A/B it against a TV. I liked the sound of the Legend better, but thought I could never get used to the huge neck on it. Also, it was out of my price range. After many months of playing both TVs and Legends (whenever possible), I found that I really liked both models. Finally, I made up my mind to buy a TV. I went to Fuller's fully intending to buy a brand spankin' new TV that day. To my dismay, they were all out of them! They did, however, have two Legends hanging on the wall. I played one of them and the glory of the sound washed over me like the spirit of the Lord washing over a sinner being reborn! However, I did not have the cash to buy it. I went home and checked eBay. There was an auction for "as new" Legend ending that night. I took the chance that I could get used to than enormous neck and bought the guitar for not much more than the MAP on a TV. Eight months later, I absolutely love my J-45 Legend. It is an awesome acoustic guitar. That is not to say I would not have loved the TV had I bought one, but I do not regret at all going for the Legend. Just one person's experience. Not sure it is helpful for you at all!
slimt Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 About 4000.00 Looks wize.. The Legend is Done real Nice... it has the Nice Big Neck,,, apperance, and the Sound is Huge,, The TV.. Just a Nice J45..
E-minor7 Posted February 17, 2012 Posted February 17, 2012 As has been pointed out, there are some differences in the specs between the TV and the Legend. The Legend is completely hide glue construction. The bracing on the Legend is identical to the original 1942 J-45 used as the template, down to the saw blade marks. The TV has the forward shifted bracing. Of course, the neck profiles are very different. But that is all specs and they really don't mean a thing until you hear a guitar. When I first played a Legend at Fuller's, I was very impressed with it. I was able to A/B it against a TV. I liked the sound of the Legend better, but thought I could never get used to the huge neck on it. Also, it was out of my price range. After many months of playing both TVs and Legends (whenever possible), I found that I really liked both models. Finally, I made up my mind to buy a TV. I went to Fuller's fully intending to buy a brand spankin' new TV that day. To my dismay, they were all out of them! They did, however, have two Legends hanging on the wall. I played one of them and the glory of the sound washed over me like the spirit of the Lord washing over a sinner being reborn! However, I did not have the cash to buy it. I went home and checked eBay. There was an auction for "as new" Legend ending that night. I took the chance that I could get used to than enormous neck and bought the guitar for not much more than the MAP on a TV. Eight months later, I absolutely love my J-45 Legend. It is an awesome acoustic guitar. That is not to say I would not have loved the TV had I bought one, but I do not regret at all going for the Legend. Just one person's experience. Not sure it is helpful for you at all! Read with pleasure -
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